Ex-Eagle Scout gives $1-million to local council

TAMPA -- Carl Lindell Jr. was an Eagle Scout when he was young. Today he's a successful car dealer and entrepreneur and is giving something back to the Boy Scouts.

A very big thing: $1-million.

Lindell's donation to the Gulf Ridge Council of the Boy Scouts of America is the biggest ever to the local group, said Les Baron, the council's scout executive. Lindell is a longtime supporter of scouting in the eight-county Gulf Ridge region.

The money goes to the council's endowment fund and will help subsidize uniforms, materials and leadership training for local scouts. It also will help the council expand to at-risk areas.

"I want to send the community a strong message that Scouting deserves support and that it provides an excellent return on investment," Lindell said in a prepared statement. "Scouting's basis parallels traditional American values, helping young people gain confidence, skills and a sense of accomplishment as they progress."

The Gulf Ridge Council encompasses more than 40,000 scouts, including Cub Scout, Boy Scout and Explorer programs in Hillsborough, Citrus, Hardee, Highlands, Hernando, Pasco, Polk and Sumter counties.

"We salute Carl for his generosity and demonstration of his personal belief in how scouting is a valuable resource to the well-being of our communities," Baron said.

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